MY FRIEND MARC

August 20, 2009.

Listen to your life. See it for the fathomless mystery that it is. In the boredom and pain of it no less than in the excitement and gladness: touch, taste, smell your way to the holy and hidden heart of it because in the last analysis all moments are key moments, and life itself is grace.
– Frederick Buechner

Another friend of mine passed away yesterday. I met Marc during the amazing experience of Saint Joan. He was cast in two roles in the ensemble and he was the costumer who created a gorgeous vision with no money and multiple trips to Goodwill. We got very close and he was one of my kindest, most vocal supporters. He often pulled me aside after rehearsal or a performance to tell me how much I had moved him at a certain moment. We were in a lot of scenes together so I often delivered text to him because of his generous spirit on stage. He was the first person to run backstage and check on me after I almost fainted during the opening prologue one night. He was a huge fan of old Hollywood and on one of our costume shopping trips he took me around Sunset Boulevard to tell me the history behind the architecture.

Marc was in his early forties and felt that, as much as he loved acting, it wasn’t enough of a passion for him to continue pursuing it. He thought that if he was going to make it as an actor it would have happened by then. He worked a full-time corporate job for Sony Studios but his passion was to become a candy/pastry chef and to open his own business. He was Diabetic and couldn’t eat any of the things he baked but he got incredible joy from the process. I had lunch with him last year and he told me of his decision to leave his job and go to culinary school in New York City. He had some amazing ideas about the kind of candy business he wanted to open when he finished- a unique, high-concept, shop where the candy, packaging, shipping, and storefront would all be inspired by his love of old Hollywood. We kept in touch sporadically and I heard that he was happy and loving his time in school and at an internship.

I lost touch with Marc for a few months and then happened to look up his Facebook page where I learned that he had come down with a severe case of Pneumonia. Upon admittance to the hospital it was discovered that he had a rare form of Leukemia. He underwent a brutal treatment regimen but it didn’t look good and he wanted to come home. Several of his friends went into debt to provide him with a medical flight- the only way he could travel. I e-mailed him when he got to Los Angeles to express my sympathy and to see if I could visit. He answered in good spirits, was still fighting, and said to come to the hospital any time. I sent him another message when I figured out a day but never heard back. And then it must have been a swift deterioration.

Marc had a great, gentle, humorous presence. He was a good friend when I needed one. He taught me a valuable lesson about seizing the opportunity to pursue a long held dream. Because of his willingness to take a risk and change his life, he spent what would be his last year in a state of joy and fulfillment. We don’t know how much time we are given but each moment is sacred and a gift.